Steam-actuated cut-off-valve gear



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. BOLTHOPF. %TEAM AGTUATED GUT-OFF VALVE GBAR.

Patented May 5, '1891.

(No Model.)

l nuu u m@ MEH (No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3. H. BOLTHOPP.

STEAM AGTUATED GUT-OFF VALVE GEAR.

- Patented May 5, 1891.

&M

. to the cylinder and the cut-off or independ- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BOLTHOFF, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

'STEAiVl-ACTUATED OUT-OFF-VALVE G EAR.

SPECIFICATION formng part of Letters Patent No. 451,? 19, dated May 5, .1891.

Application filed December 9, 1890. Serial No. 374,012. (No model.) v

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY BOLTHOFF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvenents in Steam-Actuated Out-Off-Valve Gears, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a motor device having a steam-actuated piston having direct connection with the slide-valve and with the eccentric of a stean-engine for the purpose of Operating such valve in a way to vary the cut-ofi of the steam sooner or later, as the engine may require, to render the engine automatic in maintaining a given speed, and withont interfering with the action of the eccentric for Operating said valve in the usual manner.

As illustrating the utility of my invention, I have shown it in the annexed d'rawings as applied to a slide-valve of the ordinary D- type, but of three parts, to two of which the steam-actuated pisten is pvotally connected, so as to operate them for the purpose above stated independently of the eccentrically-operated Valve part, while at the same time the eccentric operates the several valve parts as a unit. The piston of this motor device is raised by steam and descends by gravity and a supplementing force, so that the p'iston operates its connected valve parts with quick movements at the time when the engine brings into action this motor device, so as to effect the object stated.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the motor device and ot" the valve-chest of a steam-engine, showing a multiple slide-valve with its several parts in the positions they occupy to admit the steam ently-operating valve parts closed by the action of the motor device when the engine is running light. Fg. 2 is a similar view showing the multiple valve parts in the positions they occupy with all the valve parts full open at one end of the cylinder to admit steam thereto when the engine is working under a full load. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line ;Jc a: of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line y y of Fig, 1. Fig. 5 shows the multiple valve parts separated, and Fig. 6 shows the valve-chest ports. i

The invention shown in the engine multiple valve parts and their combination with the eccentric and the independent motor de- 'Vice forms the subject of a separate and distinct application filed 'by me of even date herewith, under Serial No. 374:,Ol3, while the subject-matter of this application is the motor device as an independent structure adapted for use to opera-te slide-valves of the form and arrangement shown, or any other type or arrangement of valve or valves for which it may be found adapted to operate in the way and for the purpose stated. As to the matters of inventiomtherefore, relating to the steam-engine and to its multiple slide-valve parts, it isnot claimed hcrein. For the purpose, therefore, of enabling others to fully understand the object of my present invention I will first describe the engine-valves and then describe the motor device, which, as shown, I have designed with special fitness for application to the valves shown.

In the drawings, A is the steam-cylinder, and B is the valve-chest, as in the ordinary slide-valve engine.

C C' 0 0 are the steam-ports leading to the cylinder, and 'D D' D D are the ports leading to the exhaust E.

I use an ordinary D-valve preferably because it is the simples't known form of slide- Valve, and in the example shown I construot 'it of three parts for Operating the ports as a unit. The center part a of the valve occupies the position or place of the ordinary slide-valve, while the other two independently-movable valve parts b and c are arranged on each side of the center vaive part and are operated on the same ports to cut off the steam at any given point of the stroke of the piston for the purpose of controlling the speed of the engine according to the power required. The center Valve part a s of the ordinary D-slide-valve pattern to operate the ports O C' D D' at both ends of the cylinder,

but as a part of the multiple slide-valve it is only about one-fourth the width of such ordinary slide-valve. The object of thus reducing the width of this center valve part is for the purpose of admitting only a suficient quantity of steam to operate the engine when the cut-off valves are closed, and for the further purpose of admitting steam to the cylinder at its proper point and time of receiving the steam at each end of the stroke. This center valve part a has a constant and given stroke* not subject to the control of the motor device, which is connected to and operates the cut-Ott or independent valves b c, but is operated and controlled solely by the eccentric. The independent valve parts are of greater width and of lesslength than the center valve part and are arranged to operate on the same seat and over the same ports as the center valve part, and are also arranged to be operated as parts of the center valve and by one and the same eccentric. The center valve part has the usual valve-rod e and guide-bar f, the latter working in fixed guide-boxes q g, and to this guide-bar f is pivoted a cross-head h, to the ends of which the cut-off-valve rods 'o' i are jointed. An arm j extends from this cross-head h so as to form a lever, which i's connected by a vertical rod to the piston-rod Z of a piston m, which I prefer to operate by steam for the purpose of operatin g the cut-off or independent valve parts in a way which I shall presently dcscribe as being the special function of the motor device. The center valve part guide-bar f is connected to the cccentric 7 by a rod p, which is pivoted to said guide-bar, so that the eccentric thereby becomes the means of Operating the several valve parts as a unit, while the lever crosshead connection h is permitted to give an independent movement to the independent or cut-ofE-Valve parts and withoutinterfering with the action of the regular slide-valve center part.

In the position shown in using the Valves the center valve part is supported by and slides upon the upper edge of the inner cutotf valve and upon a guide-rib q on the valve-seat. The outer or back cut-off-valve part is supported by and slides upon the center valve. part, while the forward or inner cut-oft-valve part is supported by and slides upon the bottom of the steam-chest or other suitable support.

The valve parts, as shown, are arranged to operate both as 'a unit and independent of each other, and they ride upon the same seat' side by side, each valve covering its own receiving and eXhaust ports, which are divided by longitudinal bridges, so that each valve covers one-half of the bridge and its own port. Each of the valve parts is formed with the usual D-exhaust for Operating the eXhaustports D D' D D in the usual way of the ordinary slide-valve.

The motor device, as shown, and upon which the novelty of n y present invention rests, consists of a cylinder 1, havinga pisten m which, byits piston-rod Z,is connected, as stated, by the rod k to the eross-head leverj, and a smaller cylin der 4, containing a pisten or plug valve 5, which is connected by avalVe-rod 6 to a governor 7. These cylinders communicate by an inlet-port 8 and an eXhaust-port 9 at the lower ends thereof, and which ports are controlled by the pisten or plug valve to admit the live steam by the passage 10 and to eXhaust by the passage 11.

The governor may be of the ball type, and it will be understood that in this particular Construction of steam-notor device its piston is raised by steam and descends by its own gravity, assisted by weight or spring force. These forces may be used together or separately, and when used separately the spring 12 is Secured to the floor or engine-frame, and is connected to the lower end of the pisten connecting-rod 70 by a link 13. hen weights are used, they are preferably placed upon the upperend of the pisten-red, as at 14. While the employnent ot this force is primarily for effecting the quick descent of the piston to impart a quick action to the independent valve parts to maintain a uniform speed of the engine, yet this force is used as a means of changing the speed of the engine by increasing or decreasing the tension of the spring, or increasing or diminishing the weight upon the piston-rod, as the engineer may desire. The motor device is intended to be mounted and suitably supported upon, the engineframe.

The passage i) seen at the upper end ot' the motor-cylinder is for the purpose of permitting the outfiow of the water which may `accumulate in the cylinder above the piston from steam which may leak by the pisten, and this water, passing into the case of the plug-valve, is permitted to pass therefrom through a central passage w in said valve to the exhaust, and thereby relieve the said piston from being impededin its upstroke, which would result from such accumulation of water.

The operation of the motor device, in its application to the valves, and for the purpose stated, is as follows: In the operation of the engine the eccentric operates positively and contin uously all the valve parts, and when the valves are in the position shown in Fig. 1 the engine will have attained its given speed, and

of the cylinder through the port C, which at this moment is opened with the crank on the downward quarter-stroke toward the engine. The crank, making half a revolution, will reverse the movement of the valves and open port C', and these ports not being sufficiently large to supply the engine underaload and keep it up to its full speed it will thereby be slowed up for the want of a greater quantity of steam. This action of the engine will cause the gov- Ilo 'steam is now only entering the forward end ernor to be correspondingly slowed, and thereby operate its plug-valve, so as to close the receiving-port and open the exhaust, permitting the piston to descend, and thereby vibrate the lever-cross-head to operate the independent cut-off-valve parts. The motor piston descends by its own gravity, which is Supplemented by the force of the spring or of the weight, or of both together. The descent of the piston depresses the cross-head lever and rocks the cross-head, thereby drawing the independent valve parts b and c toward each other, so as to first open the port 0 as seen in Fig. 2, the eccentric in the meantime moving the multiple valves as a unit toward the eccentric, and thereby quickly close the ports C and 0 and open the ports C' and 0 These simultaneous movements of the valves independently of each other and together as a unit causes the independent valve parts to open their ports O and 0 altcrnately at each end of the stroke, and the center valve part to open its ports C and C' alternately at each end of the sti-oke. The movements which I have stated of the independent valve parts toward each other will continue during the descent of the piston and until the engine has attained its speed, and when this has taken place the governor-balls will be raised by the centrifugal force, causing the plugvalve to descend and close the eXhaust-port and open the receiving-port and raise the piston, thereby reversing the operation of the independent valve parts I) and c, moving them from `each other, for the purpose of admitting juststeam enough into ports 0 and 0 to carry the load and to maintain a given speed of the engine. In this operation the center valve part at the same time is caused to open its ports and is controlled solely by the eceentric which constantly imparts its motion to all the valve parts to operate them as one valve. WVhile, therefore, all the valve parts have an equal stroke from the eccentric, the independent valve parts have a relative lengthening and shortening stroke by the action of the lever cross-head, and it is this movement which produces the opening and closing of the ports, as the motor device may be caused to act by the action of its governor. It is in this way that I make an automatic engine of the ordinary slide-valve type, because while the three valve parts operate each as a cut-off and a receiving-valve, yet two of these coacting valve parts-that is to say, the independent motor-devce-controlled valve parts-act to cut oft sooner or later, as the motor device may determine, and thus keep the engine at a uniform speed under any given speed or load, while the eccentrically-operated valve part acts with an unchanging novement and uniform travel.

lVhile the spring or weight force Supplements the weight of the piston to give it a quick movement in its descent, which is an important matter to transmit such quick movement to the independent valve parts, the spring is also important in maintainiug a steady action of the piston while under the pressure of the steam, which would otherwise be liable to transmit a trembling or unsteady movement to the said valves.

I have stated that the motor-device-operated valve parts are wider and shorter than the center eccent ric-operated valve part, and this is to obtain the advantage of compactness of the valves with comparatively wide side valves and long ports operated by them to admit of the passage of the full force and Volume of steam from. the steam-chest to the cylindcr at the moment the ports are opened.

It is evident that imnaterial departures may be permitted from the general construction and arrangement of parts of the motor device contributing toward my invention, and for this reason I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto in precise detail.

I claim as my invention 1. The steam-actuated piston-motor device herein described, the same consisting of a steam-cylinder, a piston Operating therein by steam admitted to one end only of said cylinder, a governor-controlled valve for operating said piston, a force supplementing said piston-rod and acting thereon with a downward pressure, an eccentric-operated rod, and suitable connections with said piston-rod and said eccentric-rod for transmitting the movements of said piston to the device operated thereby, substantially as described.

2; The combination, with the steam-cylinder having an inlet and exhaust port at one end only, a piston Operating therein, a governor-controlled valve for Operating said piston, and a force Supplement-in g said piston and acting with a downward pressure thereon, of a rod pivotally connected to the piston-rod, an eccentric-operated rod, and a suitable lever device pivotally connecting the said piston-operated rod, the eccentric-operated rod, and the device operated by said pistonconnections, substantially as described.

3. The steam-actuated motor device herein described, the same consisting of a steamcylinder, a piston operated therein by steam admitted to one end only of said cylindcr, a governor-controlled plug-valve for Operating said piston, a spring connected With said piston-rod and acting thereon with a downward force, an eccentric-operate'd rod, and suit- .able connections with said piston-rod and said eccentrc-operated rod for transmitting the movements of said piston to the device operated thereby, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the steam-cylinder having an inlet and exhaust port at one end only, a piston Operating therein, a governor-controlled plug-valve having a central passage in communication with the steamcylindcr at the back end of the piston, and a force supplementing said piston and acting IOC IIO

With a downward pressure thereon, of a rod pivotally connected to the piston-rod, an eccentric-operated rod, and suitable connections with said piston-rod and said eccentric-operated rod for transmtting the movements of said piston to the device operated thereby, substantally as described.-

In testimony Whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY BOLTI-IOFF. witnesses:

A. E. H. J OHNSON, PHILIP F. LARNER. 

